Originally posted by ancientsanskrit:
Originally posted by Stazi:
The ice actually changes the chemical makeup of the tanins, which give the Scotch's flavor. The dilution is not the problem. Actually it's common to dilute a scotch with a little purified water, to make it a little more palatable for those who don't like it's harsh bite.




Stazi, I am a bit naive with Scotch, and had no idea tannins were used in it. I actually dealt with tannins in biochemistry when were trying to synthesize phenylalanine which tannins are basically mimiced off of. I'm not sure ice would have any substantial chemical changes rather than disrupting h-bonds on the aromatic substance which by diluting you are doing anyways. It logically makes sense that the taste would be a bit underexpressed if ice is added since the sipper is introducing heat, hence more water/scotch concentration. Just some thoughts, if you have any good articles on scotch drinking, specifically about ice and scotch, I'd like to check it out...



I actually like my single malt with one ice cube. It slowly dilutes it. I guess i have poor scotch etiquette.

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